Birria ramen is a bowl of ramen noodles served in birria consommé, the red chile broth from the Mexican braised-meat stew called birria, topped with the shredded braised meat and the usual birria garnishes: onion, cilantro, radish and lime. It is a Mexican and Japanese mash-up, usually traced to a Mexico City menu around 2015, that spread through Los Angeles taco spots and social media. It has been on the menu at Señor Tequila's in Germantown, Maryland since 2021. Below: where it came from, how it differs from birria tacos, how to eat it without making a mess, and what is in our bowl.
What Is Birria Ramen, Exactly?
Start with birria. Birria is a slow-braised meat stew from the state of Jalisco in western Mexico, traditionally made with goat and now very often with beef. The meat is marinated in dried chiles, garlic and spices, then cooked for hours until it falls apart. The liquid it cooks in is the consommé, and in most birria restaurants the consommé is the point: you dip the taco in it, you drink it from a cup, you argue about whose is better.
Birria ramen takes that consommé and treats it like ramen broth. Cooked wheat noodles go in the bowl, hot consommé goes over them, the shredded birria goes on top, and the garnishes finish it. Some kitchens add a soft-boiled egg or cheese. Most keep it closer to the taco stand. The result eats like ramen, tastes like birria, and is heavier than either.
Where Birria Ramen Came From
The short, honest answer is that nobody owns the dish, but there is a widely repeated origin. The most common account credits chef Antonio de Livier, who put a bowl called "birriamen" (birria plus ramen) on the menu of his Mexico City restaurant around 2015. The idea traveled north with the quesabirria boom. Quesabirria itself, the cheese-filled birria taco, came out of Tijuana and took over Los Angeles in the late 2010s. By around 2019, birria trucks and restaurants in Los Angeles were ladling the same consommé over noodles. From there it did what food does now: it went on TikTok and Instagram, where a slow pour of red broth over a pile of noodles is about the most watchable thing a kitchen can film.
None of that history is very old, which is part of the appeal. Birria ramen is not a tradition. It is a very good idea that a lot of cooks had at roughly the same time.
Birria vs Birria Ramen vs Birria Tacos
People search "birria vs birria ramen" and the answer is simpler than it sounds. Same meat, same braise, same consommé. The difference is the vehicle.
- Birria is the stew: meat in its consommé, usually with tortillas on the side.
- Birria tacos and quesabirria put the meat in a tortilla (with melted cheese for quesabirria), usually griddled in the braising fat, with consommé in a cup for dipping. Ours are on the birria tacos page.
- Birria ramen puts the meat and the consommé over noodles, so the broth is in every bite instead of on the side.
If you like dipping, order the tacos. If you like soup, order the ramen. Or order one of each for the table and pass them around.
How to Eat Birria Ramen
There is no wrong way, but there is a better way.
- Eat it hot and eat it soon. Ramen noodles keep absorbing broth. Ten minutes of conversation first and the bowl is a different, softer dish.
- Squeeze the lime early. The consommé is rich. Acid wakes it up, and the lime is there for that reason, not decoration.
- Taste before you spice. Chile heat builds as you eat. At Señor Tequila's the bowl arrives mild, and you ask for salsa diabla if you want more.
- Spoon and fork, or chopsticks and spoon. Noodles first with the fork or chopsticks, then the meat, then drink the consommé with the spoon. Or straight from the bowl. Nobody is watching.
- Add the radish and onion as you go rather than stirring them in, so they stay crunchy against the soft noodles.
- Taking it to go? Keep the consommé separate until you sit down, then pour. That is the whole trick to birria ramen that travels.
The Señor Tequila's Birria Ramen
Here is what is in our bowl: $21, on the menu since 2021, and a top ten seller.
The birria. Beef braised for eight hours with chile guajillo, chile de árbol, cloves, garlic and a spice list the kitchen is not typing out for a website. The meat falls apart. The liquid it cooked in is the consommé, and that consommé is the same red broth you get with our quesabirria.
The bowl. Japanese ramen noodles underneath. Birria meat piled on. Corn, radish, fresh onion and cilantro on top. A ladle of consommé over all of it, and limes on the side.
The heat. Mild as served. The chiles give it depth more than fire. Ask for salsa diabla and it gets as spicy as you want.
The size. A full meal for one person. In Roberto Rivas's words: "You will not be hungry afterwards." Most people do not finish it.
A guest wrote this on Google:
"Easiest decision, we're coming back! The Birria Ramen is amazing. But every dish that came by looks phenomenal."
4.6 stars across more than 5,600 Google reviews.
Allergens. The noodles are wheat. Tell your server about anything else and the kitchen will walk you through the bowl.
Not on happy hour. The happy hour specials run Monday to Friday, 3 to 6 in the bar area. The ramen stays full price, every hour we are open.
Fifteen Recipes and the Trunk of a Car
Alex Rivas loves caldos. Stews, broths, anything that takes a day. When the dining rooms went dark in the 2020 lockdown, he started making birria at home and testing it on the one critic he trusted, his brother and business partner, Roberto.
In Roberto's words: "My brother Alex's love for caldos drove him to perfect this recipe during the 2020 lockdown. He would drive by my house every two days with a fresh batch of birria and handmade tortillas and leave it on top of my trunk to avoid the forbidden human to human contact. After about 15 recipes, this one was chosen, then perfected."
Roberto ate. Alex adjusted. The ramen went on the menu in 2021 and has been a top ten seller since, which for a restaurant known for its fajitas says something.
What to Drink With It
Something cold and carbonated. The bowl is rich, and bubbles reset your mouth between bites. The kitchen's three picks, in order: a michelada, a Mexican Coke, a Negra Modelo. Or whatever you drink that is cold and has bubbles.
Birria Ramen in Maryland: Where to Find Our Bowl
If you have been searching for birria ramen near Germantown, Gaithersburg or Frederick, this is the bowl. Señor Tequila's is at 20021 Century Blvd in Germantown, Maryland, next to Topgolf, with free parking at the door. Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village are about ten minutes away.
Dine in. Monday to Wednesday 3 to 10 PM, Thursday 3 PM to midnight, Friday 3 PM to 1 AM, Saturday 11 AM to 1 AM, Sunday 11 AM to 10 PM. Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 24 and December 25.
Takeout. Order pickup through Toast on the takeout and delivery page. The consommé is packed separately, which is why this ramen survives a car ride when most do not.
Delivery. DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub all carry it.
For a crowd. Birria, tamales, pozole and handmade tortillas all go home for a group. See catering. And if you want the bowl in a room with a microphone and a DJ booth, the private parties page explains how that works.
The full description and current pricing live on the menu and on the birria ramen page.
Birria Ramen FAQ
Come Hungry
One bowl, eight hours of braising, $21. Dine in at 20021 Century Blvd, order pickup, or have it delivered. See the menu or call (301) 569-4574.